Curve Worries Huntsville Drivers

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In the Piedmont Neighborhood in south Huntsville, Homewood Drive and Riley Road intersect, but not at a crossroads. These two roads meet in what's practically a right angle curve. Unfortunately, the curve is the regular site of driving mishaps. "People tend to speed around this curve," says neighbor Billy Martin.

Recently a driver lost control of her car in the curve and ended up running into, and damaging, the front of a house. Property damage is bad, but it's not what worries people who live near the curve. "If it happened to be in the afternoon, and one of our children was out there playing, it could turn tragic pretty quick," says Billy Martin.

Both Riley and Homewood installed speed bumps a few years ago to slow down drivers. According to neighbors the traffic calming devices work just like they're supposed to, slowing down traffic on the straight section of both roads. "They've slowed traffic down in the neighborhood quite a bit, but they haven't solved the problem in the curve," says Martin.

Sabina Wank is another neighbor who likes to walk in the area. She says more than once she's gotten worried a driver was going to lose control in the curve. She'd love the problem to be fixed. "Yes, it would be good. I'm not sure what could be done," says Sabina.

There are already signs indicating drivers should slow down to 15 in the curve, but most drivers we observed didn't. Another speed bump, or two was a suggestion by one neighbor to fix the wrecking problem in the curve. We're going to take action and make sure city traffic engineers take a look at the problem and see what the best fix might be.